


Day 241

by Josh_the_Bard



Series: A Year in Kirkwall [241]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:48:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26184466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh_the_Bard/pseuds/Josh_the_Bard
Series: A Year in Kirkwall [241]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589257
Kudos: 1





	Day 241

Emile found himself in a lavish bedroom, the likes of which he had not seen since being taken to the Circle. He felt a twinge of nostalgia for the life he might have had without magic. He would have been courting a wife, or maybe taking vows as a brother in the Chantry. 

Laying on the bed was a woman, draped only in a translucent sheet. She reached for a bowl of grapes on her nightstand, taking it by the stem and plucking the fruit free with her lips. Emile looked around for any hidden dangers. He knew where he was, the Fade, which would make the woman a demon in disguise. His test was to resist temptation but how did he know when he had succeeded? How long did he have to resist? 

“Come here Emile,” said the demon. “The man promised everything but offered nothing” She gestured toward the bed with a finger. Emile hesitated and the woman pushed herself up to a sitting position, the blanket falling away from her chest as she rose.

“Don’t be so shy, I can feel what it is that you desire,” she cooed. Emile looked everywhere but at the demon. A grape hit him in the face and the demon giggled when he jumped.

“You have been denied what you wanted for so long,” she said. “I am only here to show you what it is that you have been missing. The templars watch you to see if you become possessed, but there are many things I can do to you besides that. You can return to the circle with memories that will comfort you in the long nights alone in your future.”

Emile didn’t know what was true and what was lies. He still hadn't spoken to the demon. According to his tutors, if he accepted the deal, she would possess him for certain, but as long as he didn’t become possessed, it meant he passed his Harrowing. He had spent so much time trying to do what was expected from him and what would his reward be? A lifetime of loneliness surrounded by people. There were many women in the Circle, some of them were unbelievably beautiful. They might be using magic to look more alluring come to think of it. Some of them were impressed by his noble heritage, but the templars were always watching. Any ‘inappropriate’ contact with another mage and they would be separated, put on opposite schedules so they never had an opportunity to meet. 

Once one of Emile’s friends had tried to sneak to the women’s dormitory to ‘visit’. Emile had watched as he was beheaded for ‘an attempted escape attempt.’ Emile had never been brave enough to try something similar. No one he knew was.

“Is a life sanitized of joy really worth living?” asked the demon. “Your future is set in stone. Nothing will change that, but your present… For tonight you have this one opportunity to indulge your deepest desires. One night of passion with me… then you can return to your circle and obey in any way you so choose.”

Emile found himself moving towards the bed. If he could never have the life he wanted then what was he risking, really, by accepting the demon’s offer. But then he remembered Hawke. Hawke was an apostate living in the open as a noble-- in Kirkwall of all places. Emile was similarly noble so there was perhap hope that he might have some of the freedoms he deserved… but only if he passed his Harrowing.

The demon pushed herself up to a kneeling position, letting the blanket drop away completely. She ran a hand down the length of her body.

“You have never touched a woman like this before,” she guessed. “There are a great many things you have never done. I ask nothing in return, only the chance to bring you the pleasures you desire.”

“Emile,” came a voice from somewhere outside the room. “Emile, do not give in, there is still a chance for you.”

A door Emile had not seen before swing open. On the other side was Hawke, or an apparition with Hawke’s form. It offered Emile it’s hand.

“Take hold of Hope and hold it close,” it said. “Do not let go or give up.”

Emile was halfway between the two figures. Both offered him a hand. Emile took a deep breath and reached fro Hawke. As soon as their hands made contact there was a bright light that drowned out everything. When Emile could see again, he was back in the Harrowing chamber.

Orsino was giving him a look of approval. 

“Welcome back to us,” he said. “I knew you were ready.”

Emile felt a sudden wave of exhaustion and almost collapsed once again. Orsino caught him, supporting him dispite the First Enchanter’s small size.

“Is he alright,” Cullen asked.

“Emile’s mental fortitude surpasses his physical endurance by a great deal. The late hour had drained him, but he will be fine with rest.”

Emile expected to be taken back to his dormitory but Orsino instead let him to a room in the Enchanter’s wing. He was to be a full mage now and would no longer live with the apprentices. Kiurkwall’s Circle was crowded and he would share a room but now it would be with three other mages instead of thirty.

His last thought before falling asleep was a promise to himself. One day he would have everything the demon offered, but on his terms. He would experience the pleasures of freedom, true freedom. All he needed to do was wait for his time.


End file.
